Will AI replace Computer Hardware Engineers?

What this score means

Computer Hardware Engineers sits in the middle of the exposure range for Engineering. Routine parts of the job are starting to automate, but much of it still depends on judgment, relationships, and context that today's models handle poorly. At 43 out of 100 it scores 7 points above the Engineering average of 36. Across the 8 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 14 to 60, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Computer Hardware Engineers, most central first, showing 12 of 18.

• 01Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
• 02Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
• 03Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
• 04Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
• 05Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
• 06Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
• 07Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.
• 08Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.
• 09Select hardware and material, assuring compliance with specifications and product requirements.
• 10Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
• 11Analyze user needs and recommend appropriate hardware.
• 12Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 8 research sources that scored Computer Hardware Engineers for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

• 01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026Anthropic
• 02Global Automation Atlas: Task Substitution Exposure by Occupation · 2026Garg, Crosta, Baier (2026), arXiv:2605.17086
• 03Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure · 2025International Labour Organization, Working Paper 140 (2025)
• 04Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations · 2025Tomlinson, Jaffe et al., Microsoft Research (2025)
• 05A new future of work: The race to deploy AI and raise skills in Europe and beyond · 2024McKinsey Global Institute (2024)
• 06GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin, Rock (Science, 2024)
• 07AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023Felten, Raj, Seamans (2023)
• 08Generative AI and the Future of Work in America · 2023McKinsey Global Institute (2023)

Common questions

How likely is AI to replace Computer Hardware Engineers?

Published research puts Computer Hardware Engineers at 43 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the transitioning band. The number is a weighted consensus of 8 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.

Do researchers agree on the risk for Computer Hardware Engineers?

Only partly. Individual estimates for Computer Hardware Engineers run from 14 to 60 out of 100 across the 8 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.

Which engineering roles face similar AI exposure?

The closest published engineering roles to Computer Hardware Engineers by score are Automotive Engineers (43/100), Electrical and Electronics Drafters (43/100), and Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar (43/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

Analog Design Engineer · Analog IC Design Engineer (Analog Integrated Circuit Design Engineer) · Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design Engineer (ASIC Design Engineer) · Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design Verification Engineer (ASIC Design Verification Engineer) · Computer Designer · Computer Engineer · Computer Hardware Designer · Computer Hardware Developer and related titles

More engineering occupations

• Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers44/100
• Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians44/100
• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer44/100
• Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists44/100
• Automotive Engineers43/100
• Electrical and Electronics Drafters43/100
• Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar43/100
• Engineers, All Other42/100